Luke: The Compassion of Christ

By Dr. David Jeremiah

Jesus is the Great Physician...

Follow Dr. Jeremiah through the gospel of Luke in a chapter-by-chapter study that will help you understand what it meant to the people at the time it was written, and what it means to Christians today.

According to the apostle Paul, Luke was a "beloved physician" who traveled with him on several of his missionary journeys. However, Luke's real passion was in setting down an orderly account that detailed the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. This was a task for which Luke was well suited, for he was both a thoughtful man of science and a great observer of people.

Luke took great care in relating the information he collected, but he also emphasized the care that Jesus, as the Great Physician, extended to people everywhere—both Jewish and Gentile alike.

Each of this study's twelve lessons is clearly organized to include:

• Getting Started: An opening question to introduce you to the lesson.
• Setting the Stage: A short reflection to explain the context of the study.
• Exploring the Text: The Scripture reading for the lesson with related study questions.
• Reviewing the Story: Questions to help you identify key points in the reading.
• Applying the Message: Questions to help you apply the key ideas to their lives.
• Reflecting on the Meaning: A closing reflection on the key teachings in the lesson.

—ABOUT THE SERIES—

The Jeremiah Bible Study Series captures Dr. David Jeremiah's forty-plus years of commitment in teaching the Word of God. In each study, you'll gain insights into the text, identify key stories and themes, and be challenged to apply the truths you uncover to your life. By the end of each study, you'll come away with a clear and memorable understanding of that Bible book.

Each study also contains a Leader’s Guide.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Jun 18, 2019
• ISBN: 9780310091547

Dr. David Jeremiah

Dr. David Jeremiah is the founder of Turning Point, an international ministry committed to providing Christians with sound Bible teaching through radio and television, the internet, live events, and resource materials and books. He is the author of more than fifty books, including Where Do We Go From Here?, Forward, The World of the End, and The Great Disappearance. Dr. Jeremiah serves as the senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, California. He and his wife, Donna, have four grown children and twelve grandchildren.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION TO

The Gospel of Luke

It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account (Luke 1:3). According to the apostle Paul, Luke was a beloved physician (Colossians 4:14) who accompanied him on several of his missionary journeys. However, Luke’s real passion was in setting down an orderly account that detailed the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. This was a task for which Luke was well suited, for he was both a thoughtful man of science and a great observer of people. Luke thus took great care in relating the information he collected, but he also emphasized the care that Jesus, as the Great Physician, extended to people everywhere—both Jewish and Gentile alike.

AUTHOR AND DATE

The Gospel of Luke, as with the other three Gospels, does not list the name of its author. However, the earliest church fathers to mention the Gospel all concurred it was written by Luke, a second-generation follower of Christ who—as a doctor and associate of Paul—was in a position to investigate the stories about Jesus. Irenaeus, who lived c. AD 130–202, stated, Luke . . . the companion of Paul, recorded in a book the Gospel preached by him. Origen (c. AD 185–254) noted, The third [Gospel was written] by Luke, the Gospel commended by Paul, and composed for Gentile converts. In addition to this evidence, the writer uses specific medical terminology throughout the Gospel to describe the conditions of those who approached Jesus for healing, which lends support to the idea he had a medical background. It is likely that Luke was the last Synoptic Gospel to be written, sometime around AD 70, from the city of Rome.

BACKGROUND AND SETTING

Luke states at the beginning of his Gospel that he created his account for a person named Theophilus, whose name means loved by God. It is possible this refers to a wealthy and influential man who, according to second-century references, lived in the city of Antioch during the time of Luke. Another possibility is that Theophilus was a general title for those across the world who had chosen to follow Christ. Either way, it is clear Luke intended his Gospel to be read by all people. This is evidenced by the fact that even though he included many references to Jewish practices in Israel, he also focused on Jesus’ ministry to those in the Gentile world. Furthermore, Luke’s genealogy of Jesus traces Christ’s lineage not just to Abraham, the father of the Jewish people, but all the way back to Adam, the father of all peoples.

KEY THEMES

Several key themes are prominent in Luke’s Gospel. The first is that Jesus came with a message of salvation for all of humanity. Luke relates that when Jesus returned to His hometown of Nazareth to begin His public ministry, He read from the prophet Isaiah and announced, Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing (4:21). In response, the people from His own village tried to end His life by throwing Him over a cliff. The story reflects Luke’s intent to show how Jesus first brought the good news of salvation to the Jewish people (who rejected it) and then to the entire world.

A second theme is that Jesus had a heart for the marginalized in society. When Jesus began His ministry in Nazareth, He also announced He had come to heal the sick and the brokenhearted and set at liberty those who are oppressed (4:18). Luke emphasizes in both Jesus’ teachings and miracles that He was concerned about those on the fringe of society—whether they were despised tax collectors, widows in need, poor shepherds, or even sons in open rebellion toward God. Every person was important to Jesus and a candidate for salvation.

A third theme is that Jesus operated through the power of the Holy Spirit. Luke reports that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and, after His baptism (where the Holy Spirit descended over Him like a dove), was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted. Jesus announced at the beginning of His ministry that the Spirit of the LORD was upon Him (4:18). Later, after Jesus’ resurrection, He told His disciples they could receive that same power and instructed them to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit (see 24:49).

A fourth theme is that Jesus was fully divine but also fully human. Luke refers twenty-five times to Jesus as the Son of Man, which is more than any other Gospel writer. His account of Jesus’ life begins in the most humble of situations—a manger surrounded by animals and lowly shepherds. Yet Luke also demonstrates that Jesus knew (even from an early age) that He was the divine Son of God who had come into the world to fulfill His heavenly Father’s plan of salvation. Luke’s Gospel is also unique in that it concludes with Jesus being taken up to heaven, where He is seated at the right hand of God (see Luke 24:51; Acts 7:56).

KEY APPLICATIONS

Luke shows how Jesus came into this world "to seek and to save that which was lost" (19:10). He shows the high value Jesus places on rescuing all people from their sins—no matter how far gone those people might seem. And he shows how Jesus was willing to give up His place in heaven to come down to earth as a sacrifice for the sins of every person who will receive Him.

LESSON one

GOD WITH US

Luke 1:1–2:52

GETTING STARTED

If you could ask one question of Mary, the mother of Jesus, what would it be?

[Your Response Here]

SETTING THE STAGE

For thousands of years, humankind gazed at God. Glimpses of His majesty would occasionally shine through, flashing forth in the handiwork of His firmament. But the fullness of His glory was too sublime for human eyes. But then, Jesus came into the world to reveal the Father in heaven. Jesus was God manifest in the flesh. God became human to tell us what He is like. God the Son became flesh to reveal God the Father. Christ is the image of God’s person.

When you look at Jesus—when you see Him healing the sick and read of His compassion for the hungry, His concern for little children, His dealings with those who are demon-possessed, His flashing anger against hypocrisy, and His pardon for sinners—then you see God and understand what God is like.

You also get a sense of what God values by how He works through the people He chose to be a part of His salvation plan. For instance, in the opening chapters of Luke’s Gospel, we meet an elderly couple, Zacharias and Elizabeth, who had long ago given up hope of ever having a child. We meet Mary, an unmarried young woman from a village that was belittled by most people. We also encounter Joseph, a simple carpenter from the same village.

Even the most astute students of the Law and Prophets could not have imagined that the Messianic prophecies would be fulfilled through people like them. Yet God saw something in them that no one else saw. He saw an obedient spirit and a willingness to sacrifice their own desires for something far greater.

EXPLORING THE TEXT

John the Baptist’s Birth Is Announced (Luke 1:5–25)

⁵ There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶ And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. ⁷ But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.

⁸ So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, ⁹ according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. ¹⁰ And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. ¹¹ Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. ¹² And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

¹³ But the angel said to him, Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. ¹⁴ And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. ¹⁵ For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. ¹⁶ And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

¹⁸ And Zacharias said to the angel, How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.

¹⁹ And the angel answered and said to him, I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. ²⁰ But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.

²¹ And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. ²² But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.

²³ So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. ²⁴ Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, ²⁵ Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.

1. According to the angel, what would be the role of John, the son of Zacharias and Elizabeth (see verses 13–17)?

[Your Response Here]

2. What caused Zacharias to be struck mute? Why did God take this action (see verses 18–20)?

[Your Response Here]

Jesus’ Birth Is Announced (Luke 1:26–45)

²⁶ Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the